Sward structure, morphological components and forage yield of massai grass in response to residual effect of swine biofertilizer

ABSTRACT.

The present study aimed to evaluate the residual effects of the application of biofertilizer and mineral fertilizer on sward structure and morphological components of Panicum maximum cv. Massai. The experimental design comprised randomized blocks with six treatments consisting of increasing doses of swine biofertilizer (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 Mg ha^-1) and mineral fertilization (150 kg N ha^-1, 33 kg P ha^-1), with four replicates. The variables analyzed were pasture height, light interception, leaf area index, forage mass and morphological components. Plant height responded linearly and positively to biofertilizer levels in the three evaluations. The highest averages for light interception (51.63%) and leaf area index (1.64) were observed for the 240 days (40 Mg ha^-1). Dry leaf mass was influenced by the increase in biofertilizer dose, with increments of 39.68%, 25.07% and 44.66% for the 240, 300 and 360 days, respectively, when compared to the control treatment. Mineral fertilization promoted lower mass of dead material and lower leaf area index but did not differ from biofertilizer for the other variables. The residual effect of swine biofertilizer was greater than that of mineral fertilization, with a minimum use of 20 Mg ha^-1 a practical agronomic recommendation.

Keywords:
dry matter; forage; grass fertilization; organic fertilizer; Panicum maximum; tropical grass